Historic New Italy is a free, volunteer-run heritage village between Ballina and Yamba — real Italian coffee, a hand-blown glass gallery, a proper Italian gift shop, EV charging, and the astonishing tale of the families who carved a piece of Italy out of the Australian bush.
Free parking, free entry, and a genuinely great reason to switch off the highway — whatever you're driving.
A working cafe, a glass studio, a gift shop, a pavilion from a World Expo, an award-winning charging station and a hall full of history — all on one site.
Proper coffee, cooked breakfasts and lunch, and cake worth the detour — every table with a view of the Park of Peace.
Moka pots, olive oil tins, glassware and Italian kitchenware — the kind of gift shop that becomes the whole reason for the trip.
Watch artisan Ian O'Driscoll hand-flamework borosilicate glass live, working this craft in the district since 1984.
A slice of Brisbane's 1988 World Expo, relocated whole — murals, memorabilia and a replica of Michelangelo's David.
Eleven bays under a solar canopy — voted Charging Station of the Year 2025 while your coffee's still hot.
Seats around 400 and available for hire, BYO beverages — a popular spot for reunions, weddings and functions.
In 1880, hundreds of Italian families set sail for a "colony" that didn't exist. What happened next — a rescue by the Governor of NSW, a fresh start in the Northern Rivers scrub, and a community that built a silk industry from nothing — is one of Australia's most remarkable migration stories.
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